Coupled vane rotary fluid device

ABSTRACT

A rotary fluid device with a rotor eccentrically mounted to rotate in a chamber having a plurality of movable vanes mounted on the rotor to slide in sealing contact with the interior wall of the chamber as the rotor rotates. The vanes are mounted in diametrically opposed pairs by means of radially extending support rods, which vanes protrude through slots in the rotor to engage the peripheral wall of the chamber. These rods act as tracks for the vanes to radially slide and offer a system of mutual structural support. In addition, two of the rotary fluid devices are combined to form a two stage rotary engine.

United States Patent 1191 Thomas, Jr.

1 1 Jan. 7, 1975 1 1 COUPLED VANE ROTARY FLUIDDEVICE [76] Inventor: Albert Raymond Thomas, Jr., 7219,

Gessner Rd., Houston, Tex. 77036 221 Filedzl June 4,1973- 21 Appl. No.: 366,351

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 95,021, Dec. 4, 1970,

[58] Field of Search 123/841, 8.19, 8.23, 8.29, 123/845; 418/258, 253, 257, 265, 266

3/1940 Laythorpc 123/841 2,367,326 1/1945 Beckman 418/258 X 2,461,757 ll/1949 Moores 418/258 X 2,864,346 12/1958 Taylor 123/8145 X Primary Examiner-Clarence R. Gordon Attorney, Agent, or Firml(enneth R. Glaser [57] ABSTRACT A rotary fluid device with a rotor eccentrically mounted to rotate in a chamber. having apluralityof movable vanes mounted on the rotor to slide in sealing contact with the interior wall of the chamber as the rotor rotates. The vanes are mounted in diametrically opposed pairs by means of radially extending support rods, which vanes protrude through slots in the rotor [56] References Cited to engage the peripheral wall of the chamber. These UNITED STATES PATENTS rodsact as tracks for the vanes to radially slide and 54,581 5/1866 Morris... 418/258 offer a system of mutual structural support. In addi- 986.116 3/1911 Wyle .418/258 tion, two of the rotary fluid devices are combined to 1,050,300 l/1913 Rust 418/258 X form a two stage rotary engine, 1,953,378 4/1934 Vias 418/258 x 1,996,875 4/1935 McCann 418/258 25 Claims, 10 Drawlng Figures Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,559

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 3 5 v PRIOR ART 7 3l/ IN VEN TOR ALBERT R. THOMAS FIG. 6

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 7,1975

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

INVENTOR ALBE RT R. THOMAS FIG. 4

ATTORNEY Painted Jan.7,1975 I 3,858,559

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 9

INYENTOR ALBERT R. THOMAS ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 7, 1975 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR ALBERT THOMAS j ATTORNEY 7 29.229 zO mmmmn:200 ZOEbmwZ COUPLED VANE ROTARY FLUID DEVICE This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 95,021,

filed Dec. 4, 1970, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In various fluid applications, it has been a general practice to employ fluid devices, wherein a housing is provided with a chamber therein to receive an eccentricallymounted cylindrical rotor. The rotor is generally provided with a plurality of radially sliding vanes which continuously engage the peripheral wall of the housing during rotation of the rotor. A plurality of working chambers of variable volume are defined by the adja cent vanes and the rotor.

It has been a general practice to slidably mount vanes in radially extending grooves formed .in the rotor and, in some situations, a spring is placed in the bottom of the groove to contact and force the vane in a direction toward the peripheral wall of the chamber to improve the sealing between the vane and the peripheral wall during low operation speeds. Many sophisticated configurations are known in the prior art which utilize advantage of reducing the volume of the working chamber, which therefore reduces the capacity of the device itself.

From the foregoing, the dilemma of rotor design can be seen, i.e., to reduce'vane binding, the rotor must be increased in size while to increase capacity, the size of the rotor must be reduced.

The necessity of having a rotor which is large enough to adequately support vanes without binding creates other problems. Due to the size ofthe rotor, there is not enough clearance to allow efficient location of the input and output ports in the end walls of the chamber which requires that they be located in the peripheral wall. By locating the ports in the peripheral-wall, seal wear is increased due to contact between the vanes and the ports. I I

It can also be seen that if springs are utilized to hold the vanes in an extended position, they are compressed on each cycle an amount equal to the radial distance the vane moves. Because of this compression, the lives of these springs are decreased and therefore each spring must be frequently replaced. 3

The problems present in a rotary vane fluid .device can be illustrated by considering a rotary vane combustion engine or motor in which high temperatures and pressures are produced in the motorby burning of a fuel air mixture. Due to these high temperatures and pressures, vane binding becomes an acute problem grooves to slidably mount vanes on a rotor in diametrically opposing pairs and, it has even been proposed that rods be utilized between the opposed vanes to act as spring guides.

Although such devices serve their purpose, they have not proved entirely satisfactory'under all conditions of service for the reason that difficulty has been experienced in providing a rotary vane configuration which is capable of operating at high pressures while handling a large volume of fluid. One reason for this difficulty can be traced to the method used to maintain the vane in the proper radial position; for even when the vane is fully extended, a large portion of the vane must remain in the slot for support. In addition, the slot must be deep enough to contain the vane when it is in the fully retracted position and if springs are used, further allowances for the depth of the slot must be made.

The tendency for the forces exerted by the fluid to twist the vane in the slot becomes even more acute as the capacity and operation pressure of the device is increased. The point is finally reached where the vanes will bind or jam, thus inhibiting radial movement. Several detrimental results will manifest themselves if binding occurs. First, an effective seal against themripheral wall of the housing can no longer be maintained and the performance of the device will be greatly impaired. Second, the vanes may begin to chatter causing adverse wear and reduced life. Also the fricwhich decreases the engines efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general purpose of this invention is to provide a rotary fluid device which has an increased capacity at higher pressures and reduces the problem of binding vanes while increasing seal life. To obtain this, the present invention contemplates the use ofa unique arrangement for coupling vanes on a rotor whereby the vanes can extend from the rotor without causing binding or seal damage, thus increasing the capacity and'maximum pressure at which the device can operate. To accomplish this, diametrically opposed vanes are mounted on support rods which extend radially across the rotor and into the vanes. These rods are radially movable with respect to the rotor and act as tracks to structurally support the vanes and prevent the vanes from binding as they are moved around the peripheral surface of the chamber at high pressures.

The above described rotary vane configuration could be utilized in an improved rotary vane internal combustion engine. The engine. can be constructed with two coupled rotary vane devices, one serving as a pump and the other acting as a motor. Air induction and compression is accomplished in the first stage (compressor stage) and the burning and expansion performed in the second (combustion stage). A transfer duct containing a fuel injector provides the passage for air between the two stages.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION mum support and guidance for the radially extending rotor vanes while at the same time minimizing the diametrical dimensions of the rotor.

Still another object is to provide a rotary vane config uration which can operate at high pressures.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision ofa rotary van-e configuration which prevents binding of the vanes and thus increases seal life.

Still a further object of the provision of a rotary vane configuration in which the rotor is hollow and, therefore has reduced inertia forces required for starting.

Yet still a further object of the invention is the provision of a rotary vane configuration which is simple and inexpensiveto manufacture and assemble.

Yet even a further object of the present invention is the provision of a rotary vane configuration which can be used either on a pump or motor.

Anotherobject is to provide a rotary vane configuration which increases the spring life of the starting springs.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rotary vane configuration for a fluid device in which the ports can be mounted in the end wall of the chamber.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a rotary vane internal combustion engine which utilizes a tandemly mounted rotary vane pump to supply compressed air to the combustion stage.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a rotary vane internal combustion engine which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and assemble and economical to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary vane engine which is designed to provide complete combustion of the fuel and therefore reduce the pollutants present in the exhaust.

Still a further object of the invention is to reduce the complexity and costs of employing fuel injection for more precise fuel metering which will increase the efficiency of the engine and further reduce pollution.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated by those 'of ordinary skill in the art as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the ar rows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the device taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a partial view, partly in section of the rod arrangement of an alternate configuration of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a side elevation of the rotary vane internal combustion engine of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the device illustrating the combustion and compression portions;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the device taken along the lines 8-8 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; 7

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. I,

.a sectional view ofa conventional rotor vane configuration for a rotary fluid chamber device,wherein a housing 10 is provided with a chamber 12 and a solid rotor 14 is eccentrically mounted to rotate within the cham:

ber 12. A plurality of vanes 16 with seals 17 on the end thereof, are carried by the rotor 14 and are mounted in slots 18. Springs 20 are provided in the bottom ofthe slots to keep the vanes in contact with the chamber wall during operation of the device at low speeds. It can be seen that during rotation of the rotor 14, the vanes 16 move-from a position in which they are extended from the rotor as shown by the vane in' the lowermostposition of FIG. 1 to a position to which they are contracted in the rotor as shown in the uppermost position of FIG. 1. When a vane 16 is in the extended position as shown in FIG. 1, the slot 18 must be of sufficient length to extend along the sides of the-vane a sufficient distance to preventbinding of the vane so that the vane can easily move in a radial direction with respect to the rotor I4. It can also be seen that during each complete cycle of rotation of the rotor 14, the spring 20 must be compressed and relaxed'an amount equal to the distance the vane moves. By using slots to holdthe vanes in position on the rotor, the size of the rotor 14 must be increased to allow for the length of the slot which reduces the total usable volume inside the chamber 12 and thus, reduces the efficiency of the fluid device itself.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a configuration of a coupled vane fluid pump 24 is shown. This pump 24 comprises casing 26 which is attached by suitable fasteners 25 to two end wall castings-28 and 30. The casing 26 can be provided with a plurality of cooling ribs 31 to help transfer heat energy from the device to reduce its operating temperature. Two end housings 32 and 34 are shown extendingthrough the end wall castings 28 and 30, respectively.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, which are sectional views of the pump shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that a chamber 23 is defined by the end castings 28 and 30 and an interior peripheral .wall27 of the casing 26. Although in the present embodiment, the peripheral wall 27 is shown as having a cylindrical cross section, it is contemplated that other shapes could be used. The two end housings 32 and 34 are journaled in the end wall castings 28 and 30 by a suitable means, such as, bushings 36 and 38, so that they can rotate with respect to the end wall castings 28 and 30. The pump 24 can be powered by mechanically connecting a suitable power source to either of the extending portions 40 of the housings 32 and 34. The end housings 32 and 34 each have annular extending ribs 42 and 44, respectively, which are inserted into the interior of a hollow cylindrical rotor 46 to attach the rotor thereto Input and output ports 29-and 33, respectively, of appropriate shape and configuration for the fluid used can be provided in either or both end wall castings 28 and 30;

The rotor 46 is provided with a plurality of vanes which extend through openings 53 in the rotor 46. In

the present embodiment, four vanes 48, 49, 50 and 51 are mounted in diametrically opposing pairs and are equally spaced-around the rotor 46, but it is contem plated that other numbers of vanes could be used. The vanes can be provided with seals 47 on their outer surfaces to slide in sealing engagement with the peripheral wall 27. These vanes are of a size and shape so that they seal with end wall castings 28 and 30 on surfaces 62 and 64.

Two support rods 52 and 54 are connected between each pair of opposing vanes to hold the vanes radially in place and to resist torsional forces exerted on the vanes due to the differential pressure in the adjacent working chambers and the friction between the vanes and peripheral wall 27. The diameter and material of these rods will be dictated by the stresses to which they will be subjected during operation of the device.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4, itcan be seen that the upper vane 50 is broken away to show a socket 56 into which the rod 52 axially slides. This rod 52 is attached to the vane 48 which is shown in the lowermost position. Rod 54 is attached to the vane 50 and slides into a socket (not shown) similar to socket 56 in the vane 48. By attaching the vanes in this manner, each vanes to radially move with respect to each other and the rotor during operation. Although in the present illustration of the vane configuration two rods are utilized with each pair of vanes, it is contemplated that a different number of rods could be used.

Helical coil springs 58 can be inserted over the rods 52 and 54 to provide a force on the vanes to urge them in a direction toward an extended position. These springs are helpful during starting and low-speed operation to keep the vanes in extended position when centrifugal forces are lowest. Rods 52 and 54 for each vane pair can be staggered as shown in FIG. 4 with the rods for one vane pair on the outside and for the other on the inside, or as in FIG. 5, the rods for one vane pair can be offset from the rods for the other vane pair.

DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATION The advantages and features of this vane mounting configuration will become more apparent from aconsideration of the operation of the pump 24 as described by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein the vanes 48, 49, 50 and 51 divide the central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers which vary in volume as the rotor 46 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 66. During this rotation, the vanes move in sliding sealing engagement with the peripheral wall 27 of the chamber and due to the eccentric mounting of the rotor 46, the vanes radially move with respect to the rotor to maintain sealing contact with the wall 27. Since the vanes 48, 49, 50 and 51 are mounted in diametrically opposed pairs and are carried on rods 52 and 54, the relative movement between the opposing vanes is less than the relative movement between each vane and the rotor. This is due to the fact that most of the movement necessary for the vanes to conform to the housing as they rotate is accomplished by allowing the entire vane pair assembly to slide through the rotor. By utilizing this configuration, the lives of the springs 58 are increased because of the reduction in theamount of compression of the springs during each cycle of the rotor.

By using the rods 52 and 54, to hold the vanes in the radial position and to resist frictional and differential pressure forces applied to the vanes during operation. the rotor 46 can be made with a hollow centeras shown in FIG. 3. With this configuration, it is unnecessary to provide grooves or slots in the rotorto hold the vanes in a radial position because the function is accom plish'ed by the use of the rods 52 and 54.'Thus. the rotor 46 can be hollow and must function only to supply a seal against the vanes and apply a torsional force to the vane pairs. This also allows the vane to extend to the position shown in FIG. 3 with respect to the rotor for vane 50 or even further, which would'be impossible with the classical vane groove mounting configuration because the vane would tend to bind in the groove. Since essentially all of the vane is available for exten sion, the ratio between rotor diameter to housing diameter can be decreased, thus enlarging the capacity of the device. It is contemplated that the rotor 46 could be of very thin walled material so that it would have a very small mass and therefore the power required during acceleration would be reduced.

Although in the present invention the torsional force required to rotate the vanes is transmitted to the vanes through the rotor, it is contemplated that this force could be transmitted directly to the rods 52 and 54 so that the rotor would only have to provide a seal against the vane.

In operation as the rotor rotates in the direction of the arrow 66, the fluid entering through the port 29 will be trapped between the adjacent vanes and moved in a clockwise direction to the outlet port 33. In this manner, the pump 24 operates to move fluid from the inlet port 29 to the outlet port 33.

. DESCRIPTION OF THE TWO STAGE COUPLED VANE ROTARY ENGINE Referring now to FIG. 6, a two stage rotary engine utilzing the (above described) vane mounting configuration is shown as having a combustion portion 82 where fuelair mixture is burned and expanded, and a compression portion 84 where air is inducted and compressed. Shaft member 86 extends from end wall casting 88 and a shaft member 90 extends from end wall casting 92, while the combustion and compression portions 84 are separated by two central wall castings 94 and 96. A plurality of cooling ribs 98 can be provided around the circumference of the engine to aid in the transfer of heat from the rotary engine to reduce the operating temperature.

Referring now to FIG. 7, which is a sectional'view of the rotary piston motor 80, it can be seen that the end wall casting 88, central wall casting 94, and combustion casing 100 form a combustion chamber 102 with a peripheral wall 103. In a like manner, end wall casting 92,

" central wall casting 96, and compression casing 104 form a compression chamber 106 with .a peripheral wall 105. These two chambers 102 and 106 are shown as having a cylindrical cross section and are'formed with the same internal diameter, but it is contemplated that chambers of differing shapes and diameters could be used. It also can be seen that the compression chamber 106 is axially longer than the combustion chamber I02, for reasons which will hereinafter be described.

Shaft 86 is journaled by bearing I07 to rotate in end wall casting 88 and is connected to a hollow cylindrical combustion rotor 108 which rotates within a combustion chamber 102, and is in turn connected to a connecting shaft 110 which is journaled by bearing 112 to rotate incentral wall castings 94 and 96, and is in turn connected to hollow cylindrical compression rotor 114 which rotates within compression chamber 106, and is in turn connected to shaft 90 which is journaled by bearing 116 to rotate in the end wall casting 92. The shafts 86, 110 and 90 are axially aligned with each other and eccentrically mounted within the combustion and compression chambers 102 and 106. This two stage rotary engine 80 could be assembled without requiring coaxial alignment of the combustion and compression rotors 108 and 114 by use of gearing, belts, chains or the like to operationally attach the two rotors.

The compression rotor 114 is shown in detail in FIG. 8, as having four compression vanes 118 mounted on compression support 120 and having compression springs 122. The construction of this compression rotor 114 and the vane assemblies are identical to that previously described with respect to FIG. 3. An intake compression port 124 and output compression port 126 are circumferentially spaced and located in the central wall casting 96.

As the rotor 114 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction (FIG. 8), air is pulled in past a throttle 128 through the intake port 124 and into the working chamber formed between the adjacent vanes. The air is trapped between the adjacent vanes and compressed by the rotation of the rotor until the vanes clear the compression output port 126 allowing the air to escape therethrough. This output compression port 126 is connected by suitable means such as a passageway or transfer duct to the input combustion port 130 which is formed in the central wall casting 94. An exhaust combustion port 132 is circumferentially spaced from the input combustion port 130 and is located in the central wall casting 94. This exhaust combustion port 132 can communicate directly with the atmosphere or can be provided with intermediate muffler means to deaden the sound produced within the engine. It is important to note that the ports 130 and 132 are shown as being formed narrower than the vane width so that they can each only be in communication with one chamber at a time. This completely isolates the adjacent chambers from fluid communication during a complete cycle.

Although the ports 124 and 132 are shown as being formed in the central wall castings 96 and 94, respectively, it is contemplated that they could be mounted in the end wall casting 92 and 88, respectively, as desired. The shape and position of the various ports shown in the drawings illustrating the present invention are a matter of choice for design purposes and may be varied as required by the fuel and optimum operating speeds that are required in each specific case as is well known in the internal combustion art.

A fuel injector nozzle 134 is mounted in the center of the input combustion port 130 and can be connected to a fuel injector system, not shown, which is synchronized with the motor shaft to feed the nozzle 134 with fuel as each combustion chamber passes the exhaust port 132. Although the fuel injector nozzle 134 is shown in the input port 130, it is contemplated that it could be positioned elsewhere in the chamber as required for the fuel used or even another type of fuel mixing device such as a carburetor or the like, could be used to introduce fuel into the system.

As can be seen, the compression rotor 114 is mechanically coupled and driven by the combustion rotor 108. This combustion rotor 108 is shown in more detail in FIG. 9, and it can be seen that this rotor has a shorter axial length than the compression rotor 114. This is due to the fact that it is desirable to present a large volume of air to the combustion portion of the rotary piston motor and by increasing the length of the rotor 114, the volume supplied is increased.

The combustion rotor assembly 108 is very similar in structure to that of the compression rotor 114., in that four sliding combustion vanes 136 are mounted on combustion support rods 138 and have compression springs 140 thereon. These vanes slide through slots in the combustion rotor 108 and contact the peripheral wall 103 of the combustion chamber 102 to form a plurality of working chambers between the adjacent vanes. The combustion support rods 138 are larger in size than the compression support rods 120 due to the fact that very high pressure differentials created by burning a fuel air mixture in the working chambers are present across the vanes in the combustion chamber and, therefore the vanes must be ableto slide without binding when subjected to high torsional forces.

As can be seen, the combustion rotor 108 is hollow and has four fuel igniters 142 mounted therein and positioned around the rotor with one igniter between each pair of adjacent vanes. As can be seen in FIG. 7, these fuel igniters 142 are connected by ignition wires 144 through shaft 86 to a distributor means 146. This distributor means can be in a form of a fixed electrode 148 which effectively connects the ignition wires 144 through a secondary gap 160 as the shaft 186 rotates. It is also contemplated that instead of using four fuel igniters 142, that a single fixed fuel ignitercould be mounted in the chamber to ignite each successive working chamber as it passes by the igniter. Power can be derived from the engine 80 by attaching a transmission or a suitable gearing device to the shaft 86.

DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATION OF THE TWO STAGE COUPLED VANE ROTARY ENGINE The advantages and features of this rotary engine will become more apparent from a consideration of the operation thereof by reference to FIG. 10, which is a diagrammatic view showing a complete cycle of operations of the engine. FIG. 10 consists of six different diagrams showing the combustion portion 82 and compression portion 84 of the motor 80 in various parts of the cycle with the rotors rotating in a clockwise direction. The combustion portion 82 and compression portion 84 are diagrammatically shown separated for purposes of illustration only anda transfer tube 150 is shown to illustrate the connection between the output compression port 126 and the input combustion port 130. A fuel injection line 152 is also'diagrammatically shown to represent the tube through which fuel passes into the input combustion port 130. For purposes of illustration of the operation of the two stage engine 80, only the operation of the shaded working chamber 154 of the combustion portion 82 and shaded working chamber 156 of the compression portion 84 will be described as they pass through a complete cycle but it is understood that the operation of the other working chambers is identical. The following steps are involved in each cycle:

l. INJECTION Air whichis compressed in the compression working chamber 156 is forced through the connecting tube 150 and into the combustion working chamber 154 where fuel is injected therein.

2. COMPRESSION After the trailing vane of the combustion working chamber 154 closes the input combustion port l30,the trapped fuel-air mixture is compressed even further.

3. IGNITION When the fuel-air mixture in the compression working chamber 154 is compressed the required amount, the spark device ignites the fuel-air mixture.

4. POWER As the fuel-air mixture burns, heat is released which increases the pressure in the combustion working chamber 154, thus driving the vane with the greater exposed surface in a clockwise direction and expanding the combustion working chamber 154. At the same time,. the compression working chamber 156 is opened to the compression intake port 124 so that air may be inducted through the port and into the chamber.

5. EXHAUST The combustion working chamber 154 is moved in a clockwise direction until the combustion exhaust port 132 is exposed thus allowing the products of combustion to escape through the port. At

the same time, the air trapped in the compression working chamber 156 is being compressed in the compressor portion 84. 6. SCAVANGE As the combustion working chamber 154 rotates even further in a clockwise direction, both the combustion input port 130 and combustion exhaust port 132 are exposed to the combustion working chamber 154 at the same time,

whereupon air from the compression working chamber 156 escapes through compression output port 126,

through the transfer tube 150, into the combustion working chamber 154 through input port 130 and'flows toward the combustion exhaust port 132 to force the remaining combustion products through the exhaust port and aid the burning of the remaining products of combustion.

This will greatly reduce the unburned hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide present in the exhaust. With other types of internal combustion engines, thermal reactors and air compressors must be added to accomplish this end, but with the subject rotary engine, it is simply part of the natural cycle and requires no additional equipment. It is important to note that only air emerges from the input port during this portion of the cycle, for the fuel injectors are not yet actuated.

Once the combustion working chamber 154 clears the combustion exhaust port 132, the cycle is repeated.

It is to be understood, of course, from the foregoing description that the operation of each of the working chambers in the compression portion and combustion portion is identical to the operation of the working chambers 154 and 156. It is also to be understood that although the foregoing invention is described as having four working chambers that any even number of working chamber could be utilized to practice the present invention.

Electronic fuel injection can also greatly reduce exhaust emissions. However, with the'large number of fuel injectors required by other engines having the same number of power impulses per revolution, the system becomes prhibitedly expensive. With only one fuel injector required, fuel injection can become an economic reality. Since a compressor stage is already a part of the engine, supercharging becomes simply a matter of making the compressor larger and, if design hereinafter defined in the appended claims, as only pre-,

ferred embodiments thereof have been disclosed.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed ISI l. A rotary vane .internal combustion engine for burning a fuel-air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy, a compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed with fuel and supplying said compressed air to said combustion stage means, and means for operatively associating said compression stage means and combustion stage 'means so that said compression stage means is driven by said combustion stage means, said combustion stage means comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber, a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housingand rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into aiplurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes with said rotor so that said van es rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupledwith each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means providing the principal'means for supporting and maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position and resisting torsional forces on said vanes tending to bend the vane in the slot out of said radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position and the said major portion of its radial length is beyond the confines of its slot, thereby to enable the ratio of the housing peripheral wall diameter to rotor periphery diameter to be maximized, said suppport rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber peripheral wall.

2. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; a compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed with fuel and supplying the said compressed air to said combustion stage means; and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said combustion stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing'having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber; a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber; vanes arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor and slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted 'to a fullyextended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the radial length of each of the slots being substantially, less than the radial length of said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots; and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor, said mounting means comprising two support rods associated with each pair of vanes and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, one end of each support rod respectively integrally joined with said pair of vanes, the other end of each support rod being slidably received by sockets respectively disposed in -the diametrically opposed vanes, said support rods providing the principal means for maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position as well as preventing the bending of each vane along the longitudinal direction of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing engagement with the peripheral wall of said central chamber.

3, A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; a compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed with fuel and supplying the said compressed air to said combustion stage means; and means operatively associating said compression means and said combustion means, said combustion stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports, a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining a central chamber; a hollow, thin-walled rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber; vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position and continuously in engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, the radial length of said slots being substantially less than the radial length of'said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers for containing fluid masses therein, the fluid mass in each working chamber having a different fluid energy from the fluid mass in the adjacent working chamber; and means for mounting said vanes on said rotor comprising support rod means carried by said rotor to rotate with and be radially moved with respect to said rotor for allowing said vanes to maintain continuous sealing contact with said peripheral wall, said support rod means comprising two rods extending diametrically across said rotor, said vanes being carried by said rods, socket means provided in one of said vanes for slidably engaging one of said two rods, the said one vane rigidly engaging the other of said rods, said support rod means preventing the rotation of said vane with respect to said rotor and resisting torsional forces on said vanes due to frictional contact between said vanes and said peripheral wall and to forces acting on said vanes created by the differing fluid energies in said working chambers, said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to thereby maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber pcripheral wall. I V

4. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel-air mixture comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy, a compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed withfuel and supplying the said compressed air to said combustion stage means, and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end=walls defining thereby a central chamber, a'hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the major .portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupled with each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means providing the principal means for supporting and maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position and resisting tor-w sional forces on said vanes tending to bend the vane in the slot out of said radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position and the said major portion of its radial length is beyond the confines of its slot, thereby to enable the ratio of the housing peripheral wall diameter to rotor periphery diameter to be maximized. Said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber peripheral wall.

5. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed with fuel and supplying the said compressed air to said combustion stage means; and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing having a pcripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber, a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the radial length of each of the slots being substantially less than the radial length of said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupled with each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means comprising two rods for each pair of vanes, one end of each support rod respectively integrally joined with said pair of vanes, the other end of each support rod being slidably received by sockets respectively disposed in the diametrically opposed vanes, said support rods providing the principal means for maintaining the coupled vane in the radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position as well as preventing the bending of each vane along the longitudinal direction of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing engagement with the peripheral wall of said central chamber.

6. Rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary movement; a compression stage means for compressing air to be mixed with fuel and supplying the said compressed air to said combustion stage means; and means operatively associating said compression and combustion stage means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports, a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining a central chamber, a hollow, thin-walled rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes,

housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers for containing fluid masses therein, the fluid mass in each working chamber having a different fluid energy from the fluid mass in the adjacent working chamber, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes on said rotor comprising support rod means carried by said rotor to rotate with and being radially moved with respect to said rotor, said support rod means comprising a pair of rods carrying said vanes for preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing contact with said peripheral wall, said support rod means further providing the principal means for preventing the rotation of said vane with respect to said 7. In an internal combustion engine of the type having a combustion chamber housing for burning a fuel air mixture, a compression chamberhousing for the compression of air to be mixed with fuel, and means operatively associating said compression chamber housing and said combustion chamber housing, the improvement comprising:

a. a hollow rotor eccentrically mounted to rotate in one of said chamber housings, b.'diametrically opposed radial vanes reciprocatingly mounted within corresponding diametrically opposed longitudinally and radially extending slots in said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotors periphery into continuous sealing engagement'with the peripheral wall of said one, chamber housing, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said one chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, c. the radial length of the slots being substantially less thanthe radial length of the vanes and the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines ofsaid slots, and g d. means for mounting said vanes with said rotor to enable said vanes to rotate with, and be radially movable with respect to, said rotor, said mounting means comprising a pair of support rod means operatively coupling said diametrically opposed vanes and providing the principal means for supporting said vanes to maintain said vanes in the radial position when said vanes are in the fully extended position, each of said pair of support rod means having one end rigidly coupled to one of the vanes and the other end being'movably and translatably coupled with the diametrically opposed vane, Said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of the slot in which it reciprocates to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement 8. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall of said housing forms a cylindrical surface.

9. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotor is eccentrically mounted in said central chamber.

10. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as de-' fined in claiml, wherein said vanes are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor.

11. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said fluid inlet and outlet 13. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein four vanes are provided in diametrically opposed pairs and are circumferentially spaced about said rotor.

14. A rotary vaneinternal combustion engine as defined in claim 2, wherein helical springs are mounted around each of said rods to resiliently urge said vanes in a direction to contact said peripheral wall.

15. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 3, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction toward the ends of said rods.

16. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 15, wherein said resilient means comprises helical coil springs and wherein at least one of said coil springs is mounted on each of said rods in position between said diametrically opposed vanes.

17. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said peripheral wall of said housing forms a cylindrical surface.

18. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotor is eccentrically mounted in said central chamber.

19. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said vanes are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor.

20. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said fluid inlet and outlet ports are located in said end walls.

21. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotor is a hollow cylindrical member.

22. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein four vanes are provided in diametr'ically opposed pairs and are circumferentially spaced about said rotor.

23. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as de fined in claim 4, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction to contact said peripheral wall.

24. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 6, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction toward the ends of said rods.

25. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 24, wherein said resilient means comprises helical coil springs and wherein at least one of said coil springs is mounted on each of said rods in position between said diametrically opposed vanes. 

1. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel-air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy, a compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combustion stage means, and means for operatively associating said compression stage means and combustion stage means so that said compression stage means is driven by said combustion stage means, said combustion stage means comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber, a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes with said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupled with each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means providing the principal means for supporting and maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position and resisting torsional forces on said vanes tending to bend the vane in the slot out of said radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position and the said major portion of its radial length is beyond the confines of its slot, thereby to enable the ratio of the housing peripheral wall diameter to rotor periphery diameter to be maximized, said suppport rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber peripheral wall.
 2. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; a compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combustion stage means; and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said combustion stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber; a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber; vanes arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor and slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the radial length of each of the slots being substantially less than the radial length of said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots; and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movAble with respect to said rotor, said mounting means comprising two support rods associated with each pair of vanes and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, one end of each support rod respectively integrally joined with said pair of vanes, the other end of each support rod being slidably received by sockets respectively disposed in the diametrically opposed vanes, said support rods providing the principal means for maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position as well as preventing the bending of each vane along the longitudinal direction of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing engagement with the peripheral wall of said central chamber.
 3. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; a compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combustion stage means; and means operatively associating said compression means and said combustion means, said combustion stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports, a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining a central chamber; a hollow, thin-walled rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber; vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position and continuously in engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, the radial length of said slots being substantially less than the radial length of said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers for containing fluid masses therein, the fluid mass in each working chamber having a different fluid energy from the fluid mass in the adjacent working chamber; and means for mounting said vanes on said rotor comprising support rod means carried by said rotor to rotate with and be radially moved with respect to said rotor for allowing said vanes to maintain continuous sealing contact with said peripheral wall, said support rod means comprising two rods extending diametrically across said rotor, said vanes being carried by said rods, socket means provided in one of said vanes for slidably engaging one of said two rods, the said one vane rigidly engaging the other of said rods, said support rod means preventing the rotation of said vane with respect to said rotor and resisting torsional forces on said vanes due to frictional contact between said vanes and said peripheral wall and to forces acting on said vanes created by the differing fluid energies in said working chambers, said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to thereby maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber peripheral wall.
 4. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel-air mixture comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy, a compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combustion stage means, and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber, a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots froM a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupled with each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means providing the principal means for supporting and maintaining its coupled vane in the radial position and resisting torsional forces on said vanes tending to bend the vane in the slot out of said radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position and the said major portion of its radial length is beyond the confines of its slot, thereby to enable the ratio of the housing peripheral wall diameter to rotor periphery diameter to be maximized. Said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement with said central chamber peripheral wall.
 5. A rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary energy; compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combustion stage means; and means for operatively associating said compression and combustion means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports and comprising a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining thereby a central chamber, a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, the radial length of each of the slots being substantially less than the radial length of said vanes, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes to said rotor so that said vanes rotate with said rotor and are radially movable with respect to said rotor; said mounting means comprising support rod means coupled with each vane and rotatable with and radially movable with respect to said rotor, said support rod means comprising two rods for each pair of vanes, one end of each support rod respectively integrally joined with said pair of vanes, the other end of each support rod being slidably received by sockets respectively disposed in the diametrically opposed vanes, said support rods providing the principal means for maintaining the coupled vane in the radial position when said vane is in its fully extended position as well as preventing the bending of each vane along the longitudinal direction of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing engagement with the peripheral wall of said central chamber.
 6. Rotary vane internal combustion engine for burning a fuel air mixture, comprising a combustion stage means for burning said fuel air mixture to produce rotary movement; a compression stage means for compressing and mixing of air with fuel and supplying the mixture to said combuStion stage means; and means operatively associating said compression and combustion stage means so that said compression means is driven by said combustion means, said compression stage means comprising a rotary vane fluid device having fluid input and output ports, a housing having a peripheral wall and two end walls defining a central chamber, a hollow, thin-walled rotor rotatably mounted in said central chamber, vanes slidably mounted within longitudinally and radially extending slots within said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with said peripheral wall of said central chamber, said vanes, housing and rotor periphery dividing said central chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers for containing fluid masses therein, the fluid mass in each working chamber having a different fluid energy from the fluid mass in the adjacent working chamber, the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and means for mounting said vanes on said rotor comprising support rod means carried by said rotor to rotate with and being radially moved with respect to said rotor, said support rod means comprising a pair of rods carrying said vanes for preventing the bending of each vane along the length of each slot to maintain the vane in continuous sealing contact with said peripheral wall, said support rod means further providing the principal means for preventing the rotation of said vane with respect to said rotor and resisting torsional forces on said vanes due to frictional contact between said vanes and said peripheral wall and to forces acting on said vanes created by the differing fluid energies in said working chambers, said pair of rods extending diametrically across said rotor, socket means being provided in said vanes for slidably engaging at least one of said rods, one vane rigidly engaging the other of said rods, the radial length of said slots being substantially less than the radial length of said vanes.
 7. In an internal combustion engine of the type having a combustion chamber housing for burning a fuel air mixture, a compression chamber housing for the compression and mixing of air with fuel, and means operatively associating said compression chamber housing and said combustion chamber housing, the improvement comprising: a. a hollow rotor eccentrically mounted to rotate in one of said chamber housings, b. diametrically opposed radial vanes reciprocatingly mounted within corresponding diametrically opposed longitudinally and radially extending slots in said rotor for reciprocation in said slots from a fully retracted to a fully extended position to project beyond the rotor''s periphery into continuous sealing engagement with the peripheral wall of said one chamber housing, said vanes, housing, and rotor periphery dividing said one chamber into a plurality of circumferentially spaced working chambers, c. the radial length of the slots being substantially less than the radial length of the vanes and the major portion of the radial length of the vanes when in the fully extended position extending beyond the confines of said slots, and d. means for mounting said vanes with said rotor to enable said vanes to rotate with, and be radially movable with respect to, said rotor, said mounting means comprising a pair of support rod means operatively coupling said diametrically opposed vanes and providing the principal means for supporting said vanes to maintain said vanes in the radial position when said vanes are in the fully extended position, each of said pair of support rod means having one end rigidly coupled to one of the vanes and the other end being movably and translatably coupled with the diametrically opposed vane, Said support rod means additionally preventing the bending of each vane along the length of the slot in which it reciprocates to maintain the vane in said continuous sealing engagement.
 8. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall of said housing forms a cylindrical surface.
 9. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotor is eccentrically mounted in said central chamber.
 10. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said vanes are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor.
 11. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said fluid inlet and outlet ports are located in said end walls.
 12. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotor is a hollow cylindrical member.
 13. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, wherein four vanes are provided in diametrically opposed pairs and are circumferentially spaced about said rotor.
 14. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 2, wherein helical springs are mounted around each of said rods to resiliently urge said vanes in a direction to contact said peripheral wall.
 15. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 3, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction toward the ends of said rods.
 16. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 15, wherein said resilient means comprises helical coil springs and wherein at least one of said coil springs is mounted on each of said rods in position between said diametrically opposed vanes.
 17. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said peripheral wall of said housing forms a cylindrical surface.
 18. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotor is eccentrically mounted in said central chamber.
 19. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said vanes are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs on said rotor.
 20. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said fluid inlet and outlet ports are located in said end walls.
 21. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotor is a hollow cylindrical member.
 22. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein four vanes are provided in diametrically opposed pairs and are circumferentially spaced about said rotor.
 23. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction to contact said peripheral wall.
 24. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 6, wherein means are provided for resiliently urging said vanes in a direction toward the ends of said rods.
 25. A rotary vane internal combustion engine as defined in claim 24, wherein said resilient means comprises helical coil springs and wherein at least one of said coil springs is mounted on each of said rods in position between said diametrically opposed vanes. 